CARDINAL Cahal Daly has resigned as a patron of the Irish National Committee for Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund, the Catholic Press Office has confirmed.
A spokesman said yesterday the new Primate, Archbishop Sean Brady, has said he does not want to become a patron of the UN organisation "at this time."
Cardinal Daly told The Irish Catholic this week he had sent a letter to Unicefs Irish committee "withdrawing my patronship" but without giving any reason. He told The Irish Catholic: "Unicef involves itself in many activities - some are laudable, some are not."
In November the Vatican announced it was ending its annual "symbolic contribution of $2,000 to Unicefs funds because of the organisation's failure to account for funds which donors had earmarked for "morally unobjectionable child related programmes"; its participation in a UN manual advocating "abortifacient" contraceptives for refugee women in emergency situations; its involvement in advocating changes in national abortion legislation; and reports that Unicef workers were distributing contraceptives.
The Unicef Irish committee's executive director Ms Maura Quinn said last night she had no knowledge of Cardinal Daly's resignation or Archbishop Brady's refusal to succeed him as a patron.